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Bonhoeffer......pastor, martyr, prophet, spy (Read 2078 times)
mastertangler
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Bonhoeffer......pastor, martyr, prophet, spy
Jul 25th, 2012 at 11:45pm
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"weighty, riveting analysis of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer"........

Upon completing the book I couldn't help but reflect upon my own life and summarily came to the conclusion that to be but 10% of this man would be a life well lived.
An excellent account of among the best that humanity has to offer........... by Eric Metaxas............
Set in the context of Hitlers rise to power and the tribulations of WW2.

Here is a poem from Bonhoeffer written while at Tegel prison............

              Who Am I?

Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cells confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equally, smilingly, proudly
Like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!
  
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zski
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Re: Bonhoeffer......pastor, martyr, prophet, spy
Reply #1 - Jul 27th, 2012 at 12:33am
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mastertangler wrote on Jul 25th, 2012 at 11:45pm:
.....Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.  Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!

many of those are familiar mockers that don't require a prison setting for a visit, but the truthful conclusion far outweighs them all...good stuff.
  
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PhantomJug
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Re: Bonhoeffer......pastor, martyr, prophet, spy
Reply #2 - Jul 27th, 2012 at 4:27am
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My 1st favorite DB.  This is a worthy read indeed.  Well said Tim and, thanks Al.
  
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